This invention relates in general to apparatuses commonly called "handlers" which receive heaps of components made for use in electronic circuits, for example ceramic capacitors, and present them to a tester for parametric testing, and which subsequently sort the components according to test results. As used herein the term "component" refers to ceramic capacitors and any other electronic or electrical device having a form that allows it to be handled by this invention.
The handler according to this invention is a significant advance over the prior art. It eliminates manual seating of components for test purposes and manual sorting afterwards. It handles a greater quantity of components per unit time than prior art handlers. It handles components having multiple pairs of opposing terminals. It takes a randomly oriented heap of components, properly orients them, presents them to test contactors, and provides a means for sorting the tested parts individually according to test results.
Other advantages and attributes of this invention will be readily discernable upon a reading of the text hereinafter.